In 2008 the seventh edition of the Las Vegas Desert Classic was played from June 30 to July 6. For the third year in a row the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino was the host of the tournament.

The top 12 of the world played in the first round proper, which was completed with four players from North America and 16 qualifiers. For the fourth time in the history of the tournament Phil Taylor won the title. This year he defeated his compatriot James Wade in the final. Taylor had a tournament average of over 100 and threw an average of above 100 in four of his five matches.

The defending champion Raymond van Barneveld surprisingly lost in the second round to Alan Tabern. The first eight legs were shared 4-4, but the last four legs of the match all went to the Englishman who would lose a round later to Peter Manley. Mervyn King threw four 180’s in a row in his second round match against Darin Young. The King ended one leg with two maximums, after Young won the leg, he then started the next leg again with two 180’s.

In the semi-finals Taylor beat Dutchman Roland Scholten 11-2. James Wade had to work a lot harder against Peter Manley, but still managed to turn the match around. From trailing 6-8 to a 11-8 victory. In the final however The Machine fell short against the worlds number 1. Taylor won 13-7 and had the highest average ever record in a final of this tournament at 105.54 per visit